It’s been a while since I’ve felt inspired to have another chat. This time, I’ve been thinking about the way authors write and the way we choose what to read.
Someone recently told me they can get stuck on one genre for years. That describes me perfectly, though I’d never thought about it before. I’ve spent at least two years engrossed in post-apocalyptic books. Before that, it was crime. I read loads of it and discovered some fantastic authors.
Conrad Jones writes great crime novels, and many are set around where I live, which makes them doubly enticing. Stephen Puleston is another author who sets his books on these shores, and he lives locally, too.
Through all of that, I’ve still enjoyed romance. If a crime or post-apocalyptic story has a little romance in it, I’m happy. Sometimes I branch out into historical fiction, too. Ruth Ann Nordin is a favourite of mine.
I’ve also enjoyed some dark romances, as long as they’re not too explicit. I’ve DNF’d quite a few, but I’ve stuck with others because the storyline was so good. DNF means did not finish, if you haven’t come across the term. It can be hard to tell which books I’ll enjoy and which will be too dark for me. Tracie Podger’s The D’Angelo Arrangement was very dark, but not explicit, and I loved it. More recently, I read Sarah Jacobson’s Wildflower and Barbed Wire. It had dark undertones and a fantastic story.
It made me wonder about your reading habits. Do you stay with one genre for a while, or flit between several?
Many authors are readers too, and several I know feel they have to finish a book once they’ve started it, whether they’re enjoying it or not. I used to feel the same way, but my love of reading eventually won out. Reading is my escape, and when I have some downtime, I want to get lost in the pages.
I’m also seeing more books written from two viewpoints, with chapters alternating between her perspective and his. It lets the reader see both sides of the story.
In my own books, I usually stick to one viewpoint, whether I’m writing in first or third person. In romance especially, I like the mystery of not knowing what the other person is thinking. That feels more like real life to me.
The other day, I came across a book where the viewpoints changed within the same paragraph. I found it a little confusing.
What do you prefer? Does the viewpoint matter to you, or are you happy with any approach if the story draws you in?
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